For Everything That Changes
by Sephiran Lehran
Summary: Harry and Tonks have known each other for two years and their relationship is starting to intensify. Balancing an emerging relationship with a war looming is never easy but it can be nearly impossible for the Boy-Who-Lived. Between Voldemort, the Horcruxes, and parents who may not approve, will this new relationship be allowed to bloom or will it die before it has the chance?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hello beautiful people! I had an idea for a Harry/Tonks story so I thought I'd give it a shot. For those of you who read or have read my other story, I am not abandoning it. It's simply on a hiatus while I go back through and rewrite some things. In the meantime I'm proud to present "For Everything That Changes."**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

* * *

 **A Broken Man and the Dawn**

 _Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny-C.S. Lewis_

Harry Potter sat on the floor of his room at the Leaky Cauldron, his back leaning against the bed. He had barely been back home for the summer before he grabbed the money his father had given him and left the house. It had still taken a few days before he decided to come to the pub. Until the idea entered his brain he had rapidly moved from one place to the next, never staying for more than a few hours at a time. Despite what anyone may say about him, he really wasn't running away. He knew perfectly well what it was he had to do and he was determined to do it. He was just doing his best to ensure that no one else died because of him.

It was because of him that Cedric Diggory died. Voldemort had only wanted Harry and if he hadn't been so noble and encouraged Cedric to take the Cup too then the older boy wouldn't have been with him. It was his fault that Sirius Black had died. Sirius had been like an older brother/uncle to Harry and if he hadn't gone to the Ministry after that stupid prophecy then Sirius and the others wouldn't have been there and Sirius wouldn't have gone through the Veil. It was his fault that Dumbledore had been killed. If Harry was more powerful or had just been brave enough to not follow Dumbledore's orders and fought with him then the Headmaster wouldn't have been defeated so easily.

The one death that tore at Harry more than any of the others was the death of his best mate Ronald Weasley. It happened the same night that Dumbledore was killed. Despite the Liquid Luck he had given to Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, it wasn't enough. Ron lost his life in the ensuing battle after Dumbledore's death. The Headmaster dying was hard enough for Harry but finding out that Ron had lost his life too nearly caused Harry to lose what little self-control he had left. It was at that moment that he decided that no one else would die because of him. He hadn't been home for more than a couple of days when he left his parents and younger sister with nothing more than a note, hoping against hope that they would understand.

He absentmindedly rubbed the scar on his forehead as he thought about what his next move would be. Everyone was rightfully surprised when Harry survived the Killing Curse with little more than a scar and they were even more surprised to find that James and Lily Potter were somehow alive. The whole thing had been a ruse orchestrated by James' parents. The elder Potters, knowing they weren't long for the world either way, offered to take care of Harry while James and Lily went into hiding, with the idea being that Voldemort wouldn't expect Harry to be with them. Peter Pettigrew told the Dark Lord this and sold out all of them as a result. As Dumbledore once explained to Harry, it was his grandmother's sacrifice and love for him that protected him from the Killing Curse. She died to save him and that protected him from Voldemort. An insistent knocking at the door suddenly caused Harry to break out of his thoughts.

"Go away," he said forcefully. He didn't really believe his words would have the desired effect and he pointed his wand at the source of the noise. No sooner had he done so than the door swung open, revealing a young woman with a heart shaped face, blue eyes, and shoulder length brown hair.

"Wotcher, Harry," Tonks told him, holding her hands up in a gesture of surrender. Harry wasn't that easily convinced however.

"What did you say about my aunt and uncle when you helped move me from their house?" He had to stay with his Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia at the beginning of the summer after Voldemort's return while his parents helped get the Order of the Phoenix set up again. Nymphadora Tonks had been one of the members sent to escort him to the Order's headquarters.

"I said that it was unnatural that they were so clean." She started to relax for only a moment before realizing that Harry still had his wand trained on her. "What, is that not good enough?"

"Nope," the teen responded, shaking his head. "You could've gotten that information anywhere. There were several people there that night." Tonks rolled her eyes. Harry had spent far too much time with Mad-Eye as far as she was concerned.

"Because," she began, changing her hair color to black and her eyes a shade of green to match his, "I see you." It was their way of saying "I love you" without actually saying the words and it was something that only Tonks herself would know. Harry softly snorted and lowered his wand, effectively giving her the green light to enter the room. In truth Harry had known beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was Tonks as soon as he saw her standing at the door but he didn't want to see anyone at the moment, even the girl he had a soft spot for. He was worried that she would try to make him return to his family and there was no way he was going back.

Tonks gently closed the door as she walked in and sat down beside the teen, sitting so close that their knees brushed. She changed her hair back to its natural brown but subconsciously left her eyes green, allowing her own emotions for the young man sitting beside her to pour through. Harry was one of the few outside of her immediate family to have the honor of seeing the real her. Hermione, Remus Lupin, and James and Lily Potter were the only other four with the same privilege but Harry was still the first one of them to see her like that. Even Harry's younger sister Rose hadn't seen the real Tonks yet.

"I'm not going back Tonks," Harry told her almost as soon as she sat down. To his surprise the young Auror simply nodded.

"I told everyone you'd be that way. Hermione thought that I might be able to convince you to come back but I knew that wouldn't even work. Odd isn't it, a girl you yourself admitted is practically your sister thinks that I can convince you of something more than she can."

"Normally she wouldn't be wrong either, but this is an exception. So is she in the Order now?"

"No the rule about being both of age and out of school still applies. We just let her sit in on the meetings because everyone knows that between her boyfriend, Fred and George, and myself, she's going to find out everything anyway. It's just easier this way. Look I understand that you don't want to come back but could you at least tell me why you left in the first place?"

"No one else is going to die because of me," Harry responded, so softly that she almost didn't hear him. Tonks gave a deep and painful sigh and turned to look at him.

"No one died because of you Harry."

"Yes they did. My grandparents, Cedric, Sirius, Dumbledore, Ron." Harry turned to look at her for the first time since she sat down and she was shocked at the look of intense pain on his face. It was such a stark contrast to when she first saw him two years ago.

* * *

Tonks was standing outside a Muggle house with Mad-Eye, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Remus, Sirius, and Harry's parents. The seven of them had been sent by Dumbledore to escort Harry to Grimmauld Place and Tonks was both nervous and excited at the prospect. As anxious as she was, she made sure to stay back until Mad-Eye told them it was all clear and then she was one of the first ones in the house. Everyone started looking around with interest, even the usually paranoid Moody. Tonks wasn't as interested in her surroundings though as much as she was in the current sole occupant. The last time she had seen Harry was at a dinner at Grimmald Place with Sirius, her parents, and the Potters before she started Hogwarts twelve years ago and she was anxious to see him again.

"Well it seems they've done well for themselves," Sirius said with distaste. He still didn't like how Vernon and Petunia had treated James and Lily all those years ago when Lily brought James to meet her parents.

"Yeah," Lily said softly as she looked around. It hurt her that there wasn't even a single picture of them anywhere in the house, which James didn't fail to notice. He pulled her into a hug and told her something but whatever it was was lost on Tonks as she made her way upstairs. She didn't realize that Lupin was following her until she tripped over what turned out to be a pair of shoes in the hall.

"Careful Tonks."

"Sorry Remus, I didn't see them. These Muggles are very clean aren't they? It's unnatural." The young woman turned back around to find a wand pointed directly at her heart.

"Who are you?" Harry asked in a cold voice. Though she knew she should be more unnerved by the wand being pointed at her, Tonks couldn't stop the smile that broke across her face.

"Calm down Harry," Lupin responded as he stepped into the light made by Tonks' wand, "you're among friends."

"Remus?" Harry asked, lowering his wand. Without warning he launched himself at the older man and pulled him into a fierce hug. Lupin returned it with a wide grin and then stepped back as Harry turned and looked at Tonks again.

"Wotcher Harry," she greeted, her smile still threatening to split her face.

"Do I know you?" Harry questioned, a confused look on his face.

"This is Nymphadora-"

"Don't call me Nymphadora!"

"-Tonks, who prefers to go by her surname."

"Why don't I start calling you Nymphadora and we'll see if you'd rather be called something else." Harry had to suppress a chuckle at her words. He already liked this girl.

"What are you doing here Remus?"

"We're here to take you to headquarters."

"Who's we?"

"Mad-Eye, Kingsley, Sirius, and your parents."

"Mum and Dad are here? Sirius is here?" Without waiting for an answer, Harry rushed around them and bounded down the stairs, Lupin and Tonks right behind him after exchanging amused looks. The teen reached Sirius first and nearly knocked his godfather over as he bowled into him, pinning the older man's arms to his sides as he hugged him.

"Hey kid, I'm happy to see you too but could you let me go? You're cutting off my wind." Harry let him go and backed up with a smile on his face.

"Did you bring me anything?" With a barking laugh Sirius reached in his pocket and pulled out a Chocolate Frog that he handed to the teen. Harry practically inhaled it and looked at the card. "Dumbledore again. That's the fifth one."

"I'll take it," Tonks offered, quickly shoving the card in her pocket and stepping back as Lily moved forward and embraced her son. James came up behind her and put his arms around the two, bringing about a silent but obviously emotional family reunion.

"Did they treat you alright son?" he asked Harry as they broke apart.

"Fine," Harry shrugged. "They didn't feed me more than they had to but I can deal with that." James and Lily shared a dark look and the redheaded woman addressed the teen for the first time.

"I'm sorry you had to stay here sweetheart."

"It's alright Mum, I understand. I would have been in serious danger until everything was ready and not even Voldemort would expect me to stay with my Muggle relatives that I didn't know about. Why didn't Rose have to stay here too though?" There was no malice or accusation in Harry's voice, just curiosity. It made Tonks realize that Harry wasn't a young boy of nearly fifteen years. Physically he was of course but mentally he was so much older than that. She guessed that being hunted by the most powerful Dark Wizard in history had that effect.

"Your sister's not in the same amount of danger you are Harry," James answered. "Voldemort has marked you as his equal and therefore his mortal enemy. He wants to kill you specifically and he'll never stop trying to until he's defeated for good."

"Comforting thought Dad. Hi Kingsley, Professor Moody." Kingsley greeted Harry warmly while Mad-Eye merely nodded at him.

"Right then," Sirius began, clapping his hands together, "on to cheerier topics. Got everything packed up and ready to go?"

"Not exactly. I was working on some of my homework and I've still got clothes thrown out. I'll go get it now, it shouldn't take long."

"I'll come with you," Tonks said, a little too enthusiastically. Harry looked at James and Sirius who both shrugged.

"Er, that's alright, I can get it."

"It'll be quicker with both of us."

"Alright, suit yourself." Harry turned and led the way back up to the room he had been staying in, Tonks following at his heels. She expected to see something that was at least somewhat hospitable and was shocked at the state of the room.

"Bloody fucking Muggles! They made you stay in here?!"

"Yeah it's Dudley's, my cousin's, spare bedroom apparently. He's got a lot of old and broken shit lying around, as you can see." His swearing caused Tonks to chuckle.

"You'd never say that in front of your parents would you?"

"Oh bloody hell no. Dad might laugh about it but Mum would really lay into me. She can be scary when she's angry."

"I can imagine. So I guess being the Boy-Who-Lived isn't quite as good as everyone expects it to be huh?"

"Not quite but I'm grateful for it," Harry responded as he started packing. "Mum and Dad just treat me like Harry and they never have given me preferential treatment over Rosie. Have you met her yet?"

"No I think your Mum and Dad are picking her up from her friend's tomorrow. You know Harry that'll go much faster if I do it." Without waiting for a response, Tonks waved her wand and sent everything of Harry's into his trunk. "Mum can make them fold up on their own but I can't. Ah well."

"Show off," Harry muttered as he attempted to close the lid. Tonks smirked and turned to the mirror.

"You know I like this color but I think it'll stand out too much in the dark don't you?" she asked as she looked at her long turquoise hair. She screwed up her face in concentration and her hair suddenly turned dark purple with black streaks. "There, that's better."

"How'd you do that?" Harry inquired, still struggling with his trunk.

"I'm a Metamorphmagus Harry, I can change my appearance at will."

"Can you teach me to do that?"

"Thinking about hiding that scar some huh? Unfortunately I can't help you. Metamorphmagi are born, not made."

"Well fuck," the raven-haired teen responded as he stood back up. Tonks laughed again for only a second before truly looking at Harry for the first time. He was already as tall as her, maybe even slightly taller, and his hair was down to his shoulders. He had more muscle definition than most other Wizards she knew and he seemed to be quite physically fit. He was the spitting image of his father except for those piercing green eyes that he shared with his mother. "You alright Tonks?"

"Huh? Oh yeah. C'mon, let's get going. I'll get your trunk."

"That's alright, I can get it." Harry bent down and picked up his trunk with relative ease. "Can you get my Firebolt?" he called over his shoulder.

"Uh, yeah sure." Tonks watched with astonishment as he walked out of the room, carrying the trunk as though it weighed no more than his school bag. When he told her he would take it himself, she just assumed that he meant he would drag it down. She never imagined that he would pick it up and set it on his shoulder with little more than a soft grunt. Shaking her head, the young Auror grabbed Harry's broom and rushed after him.

"There you two are," Sirius said when they came down, Tonks following behind Harry. "We thought maybe you were having a good snog." Tonks was grateful for the darkness of the house, since she could hide her blush, but Harry was apparently immune to his godfather's teasing.

"Ha ha, very funny Sirius. As much as I would like to think up a comeback, I'd much rather leave this place. Can we go now or are you hoping to get a goodbye kiss from my aunt?" James, Lily, Remus, and Tonks laughed at the look on Sirius' face before Mad-Eye brushed past them, muttering that he'd make that really happen if they didn't hurry up. James tapped Harry's trunk with his wand, sending it to Grimmauld Place, and led the way outside. Mad-Eye quickly went over the plan as everyone but Harry made their brooms materialize.

"There's the first signal," James said as green sparks shot into the air. Everyone mounted their brooms and waited on tether hooks for the red sparks that would indicate it was safe to leave. "There's the second one, everyone in the air." Eight brooms rose into the air in unison and took off in the general direction of Sirius' former home.

They had only been flying for a few minutes when Harry began darting around, apparently ecstatic to be back on his broom. Three voices scolded him with exacerbated cries of "Harry!", two voices laughed jovially, one voice threateningly growled "Potter," and Tonks silently watched with fascination. It was obvious that Harry had inherited James' flying ability and he was just as comfortable on a broom as he was on his feet. After making a hard right turn to avoid running into a clock tower, he looked over at her with mischievous laughter in his eyes and a satisfied grin on his face. In the back of her mind, Tonks decided then and there that she wanted to see that look on his face every day and that she would love to be the one to do it. Almost immediately she realized the ridiculousness of the thought and shook her head to clear her mind, focusing back on the task at hand.

* * *

"None of them died because of you Harry," Tonks told him as she came back to the present. She took his hand before continuing. "You didn't point your wand at them and use the Killing Curse." Harry only nodded and Tonks laid her head on his shoulder. It was an argument that they had been having for the past year in some form or another and she viewed it as a victory that he didn't outright dismiss her words. She rested her arm on her knee, bringing his with her, and watched herself as she interlaced their fingers.

Their friendship was a very complicated one. Though both were aware of the other's feelings, their relationship had remained simply platonic for the past two years for reasons that neither were sure of anymore. Everything they had said about why they shouldn't be together had become hollow with time and now the only real reason they could come up with was how the Order would react, which they both readily admitted was a terrible excuse. As it was now, they had physical contact with each other more than most of the rest of the Order was comfortable with but most attributed it to an older sister/younger brother relationship.

There had been several times over the past eighteen months where one or both of them would attempt to further the relationship but in the end their so-called "logic" had prevented anything. It had frustrated them both every time it happened but now they had settled into something they were both comfortable and happy with for the time being. Their relationship was more than just that of friends but they weren't romantically involved either.

They were just below the radar enough that only three people knew of their true feelings for each other: Hermione, her boyfriend, and Harry's younger sister Rose. Sirius also knew about it before his demise. With a sad smile Tonks thought back to when she found out just how much Sirius knew.

* * *

Tonks was sitting at the kitchen table at the Potter residence sipping her butterbeer, her gaze never leaving Harry and Hermione as she watched them interact. The younger Witch had just arrived a few minutes ago after spending Christmas morning with her family. Harry had been ecstatic to see her, running over to the poor girl as soon as she stepped out of the Floo, picking her up in an enormous hug, and spinning around with her. Hermione was apparently just as happy to see him, if her delightful squealing and laughter as he spun her was any indication. Now they were enthusiastically talking about the gifts they had given each other. Tonks saw with a pang that Hermione was already wearing the silver necklace that Harry had gotten her.

"Good looking kid isn't he?" Sirius asked as he sat down by her, his bottle of firewhiskey in his hand.

"Yeah I guess," came the absentminded response, Tonks' eyes never leaving the two friends.

"James' looks and Lily's brain, though you'd never know it with the way he usually acts."

"What do you mean?" Tonks asked, genuine curiosity in her voice.

"Hermione likes being top of her class and if she knew that she had competition, well we all agree that she'd probably have a heart attack. That or she'd try to kill Harry."

"Hmph, doesn't look like it."

"Jealousy never suited you very well Tonks."

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," the young woman sputtered, finally tearing her gaze away from the teens to look at her cousin. She fought a losing battle with the blush that threatened to show on her face.

"There's no need to get defensive, I won't say anything to anyone," her cousin responded with a wink. "There's no need to be jealous either. She sees him as a brother and he thinks of her as a sister."

"He's already got a sister." Tonks' response was short and slightly scornful, making Sirius smile.

"Yeah but Rosie's two years younger than him." Tonks snorted and Sirius smiled yet again. "You don't need to look at her like you're trying to set her on fire Tonks."

"I'm not! I'd just like to know what makes her so damn special."

"Wish he'd greet you like that?"

"Well I wouldn't object to it." The words were out of her mouth before Tonks realized what she was saying and they were as good as a confession to Sirius. Part of her was mortified at having this conversation with Sirius Black of all people but another part of her was happy to finally have someone to talk to about it. The man in question chuckled at her admission.

"Haha well what makes her so damn special, dear cousin of mine, is the circumstance. Harry's been wanting her and Ron to come over for Christmas since his second year at Hogwarts. She never was able to make it for some reason or another until this year, so that's why he's so excited about her being here. She's not the one he was talking about nonstop for the past week though. I never thought he would shut up about you coming over. He's even happier that you're here. He hasn't spent more time with you than anyone else for no reason."

"Yeah right, that's why she's wearing a silver necklace and I've just got this leather bracelet."

"You should know better than anyone that looks can be deceiving. Yes, Hermione's gift is more expensive but he put much more thought and effort into yours. He made that bracelet himself, said he wanted to get you a gift that was as unique as you are. It's not just a bracelet either, though I'll let him tell you about that later. I know he has at least one other thing for you and I'm sure he'll give it to you later too."

"So why didn't he give it to me with the bracelet?"

"He wanted to give you the opportunity to reject it without embarrassing him in front of everyone and he didn't want to risk embarrassing you. You know you should tell him how you feel."

"I-what's the point of telling him? Assuming he feels the same way about me-"

"He does."

"Assuming he feels the same way about me," Tonks continued, glaring at her cousin, "nothing can ever happen between us. He's fifteen years old Sirius! I'm six years older than he is!"

"That makes it interesting," Sirius responded with a shrug. "And you'll find as you get older that fewer and fewer people will make as big a deal about it. Besides we both know that Harry's not fifteen. Physically he is of course but mentally and emotionally he's so much more mature. You two may be more compatible than either of you realize. When'd your last relationship end?"

"What?!" Tonks was shocked that Sirius would ask her that particular question, especially now.

"Oh just answer the question. It's not like we haven't discussed it before."

"Fine. I broke up with my last boyfriend towards the end of May."

"And then you met Harry. When's the last time you went on a date?"

"Er, October I think?"

"And why didn't it work out?"

"He wanted me to be someone else for him and he was just too immature."

"And?" Tonks looked at Sirius with an incredible look on her face. She wasn't quite sure how he knew but she knew that he did. Somehow she knew that he wasn't just taking a wild guess. "And?"

"And because I kept comparing him to Harry. There are you happy?"

"Not as happy as I could be but satisfied for the time being. If you feel that strongly about the kid then you need to tell him Tonks. He deserves to know about it and I'm sure he'll surprise you." Without another word, Sirius rose from the table and went over to Harry, Hermione, and Ron, leaving Tonks sitting at the table pondering his words. It seemed that the young woman was on autopilot for the rest of the day, not paying much attention to anything until Harry approached her with a nervous yet determined look around eight o'clock that night.

"Tonks, could I get you to come with me for a minute? I have something to give you." Tonks looked at Sirius, who gave a short nod, and followed Harry out of the room. "I wasn't sure if you'd like the bracelet so I got you something else too."

"I like it a lot Harry," Tonks responded with a smile. After finding out that he had made it himself specially for her, she couldn't help but love it. She didn't care that the letters that spelled her name weren't very straight or that the leather slightly chafed against her skin, though she soon fixed that problem after putting it on. It touched her to know that he went to that much trouble for her.

"It's ok Tonks, you don't have to pretend. It won't hurt my feelings if you don't like it. I know the letters are crooked and the leather isn't very soft. I honestly thought I could do a better job of making it."

"Harry," Tonks cut him off firmly, taking his hand as she did, "I really do like it. It makes me happy." She lightly squeezed his hand to emphasize her point, causing him to smile widely.

"Well good, I was worried that you wouldn't. I had Sirius put a Shield Charm on it. I know your job can be dangerous at times and I want to protect you. Not that you can't protect yourself but every little bit helps right?" Tonks just smiled as he lightly blushed and continued following him to his room. He gave her what was obviously a picture frame covered in wrapping paper. Tonks' jaw dropped when she unwrapped the gift and she put her hand up to her mouth, laughter threatening to spill from her.

The picture he had given her was the one they had taken at his house the day before he left for Hogwarts. She watched as the photo version of herself stepped in front of Harry only for him to step in front of her and push her back behind him. She suddenly jumped on his back and they started laughing before smiling at the camera. It was the first picture they had ever taken together, though it definitely wasn't their last, and Tonks was touched that he considered it special enough to give her for Christmas.

"Thank you very much Harry," she told him, the tone of her voice letting him know just how grateful she was. She thought about Sirius' words from earlier and decided that he was right: Harry did deserve to know how she felt about him. Looking up, Tonks was met with the same look of intensity that she knew was on her own face. Harry's deep green eyes were boring into her with nothing but pure affection and she knew that there was no need to tell him something that he already knew. "Happy Christmas Harry," she said instead, kissing him on his cheek.

"Happy Christmas Tonks," the teen responded as she left the room.

* * *

"How's Rosie?" Harry suddenly asked, breaking Tonks out of her memories again.

"The girl's fit to be tied," she told him. "She's fucking furious at you and I don't blame her. I think she might try to kill you the next time she sees you."

"Sounds like something my sister would do."

"Yeah, Severus had to reassure her for an hour and a half the other day that he didn't know where you were but he'd do his best to find out or to at least make sure Voldemort doesn't."

"How's he dealing with everything?"

"As well as can be I guess. We all knew that Dumbledore was living on borrowed time but being asked to kill him in order to save Malfoy and keep his cover had to really take its toll on Severus. He's worried about you too you know."

"I can't put him or anyone else in danger Dora."

"Right because none of us ever put ourselves in danger Harry. What about you? You've put yourself in even more danger by coming to the Cauldron than anything else you could have done, short of walking into Malfoy Manor itself. Why the fuck did you come here? It's so stupid!"

"You're right, it is stupid. I'd have to be either stupid or crazy to come here when I can't even do magic yet. If Voldemort thinks the same thing then he won't waste his efforts looking here." Tonks opened her mouth to argue but closed it again when she realized that he did have a valid point. The reasoning was simple and elementary but sometimes it was the simplest solutions that were the best. "How did you find me by the way?"

"Tom had the ledger open and I happened to see your name written down when he turned his back. Next time you might want to use Polyjuice and give a false name Harry. So what was your plan, just stay here until your birthday and then set off after the Horcruxes?"

"Almost. I was planning on asking you and Hermione to come with me. I won't be able to do this by myself."

"Well at least you haven't fallen completely into insanity yet. Harry why don't you come back with me to the Order? Just long enough to let everyone know that you're alright and that you've got something important to do?"

"I can't Dora. They're just going to try to get me to come back home to my family so I can make them even more of a target."

"No they won't," came Tonks' confident response. Harry turned to look at her and she raised her head from his shoulder, looking at him with as much intensity as he was looking at her.

"What makes you so sure about that?"

"Because I won't let them."

"Why?"

"Because I see you." Without any other warning, she leaned up and pulled Harry into their first real kiss, her lips bruising his in her fervor.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I want to take a moment to point out that even though James and Lily are alive, everything that happened over the years, from the Sorcerer's Stone to Dumbledore's death, happened and usually as it exists in canon. Any divergences will be shown in flashbacks. This story will also progress very slowly in the present for the first eight to ten chapters. There's going to be a lot of flashbacks to show the evolution of Harry and Tonks' relationship as well as certain key elements that have changed and the present will move along very slowly each chapter, with anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours passing. Furthermore I know it may seem like Harry and Tonks got together very quickly, however they've known each other for two years and they're not actually together yet, as will be explained in a few chapters.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

 **Cross my Heart and Hope You're Always There**

 _The things that we love tell us what we are.-Thomas Aquinas_

Harry and Tonks appeared just outside of Grimmauld Place, their hands entwined. They had left Harry's things at the Leaky Cauldron, both believing that he would go straight back there after meeting with the Order.

"It's amazing what your mum can do Harry," Tonks said. "I don't know of anyone else who could undo Dumbledore's Fidelus Charm and put up another one in its place."

"It'd be even more impressive if I could see it," the teen responded, frowning slightly as she released her grip on his hand.

"Oh right, Lily gave me this to give to you." Tonks rummaged around in her pockets and pulled out a folded and wrinkled piece of parchment. She handed it to Harry and a few seconds later he could see the old house just as clearly as she could. He still hated the place, it reminded him too much of Sirius, but the Order continued to use it as their headquarters since it was very well protected and no one lived there. Every time Harry had to come to Grimmauld Place, he stayed no longer than necessary and made up any excuse to leave as soon as possible.

"I hate this place Dora," he told her in a melancholy voice. The young woman beside him kissed his cheek and wound her arm through his.

"So do I love. Let's just get through this and then we can leave, I promise." Harry nodded and the two of them walked into the old house, Tonks pulling her arm away from him as they did. They had barely walked in when a crying red missile threw itself at Harry. He put his arms around the feminine figure, only realizing that it was his younger sister by the perfume she always wore. The teen looked at Tonks for help, only to find her silently laughing at the look on his face, and settled for just awkwardly holding the sobbing girl. After what seemed like an eternity, though was really only a few minutes, Rose pulled away and slapped him. The contact made a sound almost like a gunshot and left a burning red mark on his right cheek.

"What the fuck was that for?" Harry demanded, a look of stormy anger in his green eyes.

"What the fuck do you think it was for?" Rose responded. "You just fucking left without saying anything to any of us. Did it never occur to you that we'd be worried?" Though her face was stained with tear tracks, the teen was no longer crying and now had a fury in her eyes that matched her brother's.

"I did that to protect everyone Rose! You should know that better than anyone!"

"Well it was still one of the smartest things you've ever done! That way we could all read about how the Boy-Who-Lived became the Boy-Who-Died!" Tonks grimaced and sucked in a breath when she heard the insult. It was the only thing that Harry considered to be a real insult, not to him but to the memory of everyone who had given up their own life so that he would live. She watched him closely for any sign of aggression and she was rewarded when his right hand twitched as though he was going for his wand in the holster at his belt. With the practiced skills of an Auror, Tonks' wand was in her hand and a Shield was erected between the two enraged siblings before either could comprehend what happened.

"Play nice kids," she told them, trying to lighten the mood a bit. "Rosie, why don't you go let everyone know that Harry's back and we need to have a meeting?" The younger girl glared at her brother for a few more seconds before answering.

"Sure. Since you're my future sister-in-law could you try to talk some sense into him Tonks?" Rose walked away, leaving a furiously blushing Tonks behind her. Harry only had eyes for the back of his sister's head and apparently didn't pay any attention to her statement, much to the young Metamorphmagus' relief. Deciding that the redhead did have a point, Tonks decided to say something.

"She's right you know."

"What?!" Harry's response was sharp and eloquent but it was all he needed to say.

"She's right," Tonks repeated. "What would you do if she was the one who just left without a word?"

"I'd do everything I could to find her. And then I'd kill her."

"See, that's how she feels too. I know your heart was in the right place Harry but you could've done things better. Maybe if you didn't just leave like that, if you at least talked to us, it would've been better." Before Harry could answer, they heard another voice.

"Harry Potter!" They looked up to see Hermione Granger standing a few feet in front of them. She slowly walked towards them, almost akin to a predator stalking its prey, and slapped her best friend across the face on the same cheek his younger sister had hit just moments before. He barely had time to register the stinging pain before finding himself engulfed in one of her bone-crushing embraces. "What the hell were you thinking Harry?"

"I was trying to protect everyone."

"By making us worry?"

Tonks listened as the two began arguing, hoping that it wouldn't turn into a full-blown row like she and Harry had a year ago.

* * *

It had been a month since Sirius died. Between him making Harry the head of the Black family in his will and Serene, his widow's, permission, the Order still used Grimmauld Place as their headquarters. Tonks had been trying her best to avoid Harry since it happened, believing that he blamed her for Sirius' death (she did), but she was sure that her luck had run out. Dumbledore had asked Harry to be at the Order meeting that night and, now that it was over, the teen was sitting in one of the chairs waiting for his parents to finish up so he could go back home. Tonks wanted desperately to be anywhere but there at the moment but she had to discuss something with Remus and couldn't leave yet. She glanced at Harry, noticing the small smile he gave her, but turned away without returning the expression. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched the smile turn into an ugly frown and the young man in question get up and walk over to her.

"If you've got a fucking problem with me then say something. Don't just fucking ignore me like a bitch." Harry didn't yell but his voice could be heard throughout the entire room and everyone watched as the teen turned on his heel and walked out the door. Tonks stood staring at the spot where he had been in shock, never believing that Harry would say something like that to her, until Lily's voice brought her back to her senses.

"Harry James Potter, get back here this instant and apologize!" When they heard a door slam, the woman made to follow her son only for Tonks to stop her.

"I'll go talk to him Lily."

"But..." The Potter matriarch was clearly hesitant to let Tonks go after him, whether for the young Auror's safety or her son's safety no one was quite sure, but James stepped in.

"Let her go sweetheart." Lily bit her bottom lip, still looking hesitant, but nodded her consent nonetheless. Tonks darted from the room and began looking for Harry, finally finding him in Sirius' old room of all places. She turned the knob, surprisingly finding it unlocked, and pushed the door open. Harry was sitting on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. Tonks' heart would have gone out to him if she wasn't so angry with him and the next words he spoke to her didn't help anything.

"Go the fuck away Tonks. I don't want to fucking talk to you."

"Well I want to talk to you Potter and I'm not going anywhere until we settle this. What the fuck is your problem with me?"

"I SAID LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE!" Harry bellowed.

Everyone was listening on tether hooks down in the drawing room.

"Where are they Mad-Eye?" Lily asked, anxiously wringing her hands together.

"In Sirius' old room. Hmm, looks like he just went for his wand and she beat him to the punch."

"Should we go up there?" Molly Weasley asked nervously. "If they're pulling wands on each other-"

"No they both need this," Remus interrupted. "They need to let out their grief and anger."

"Besides Harry and Tonks are close," James added. "I don't think they'll actually do anything to each other."

"And what if they do?" Lily asked in a quiet voice.

"Then we'll have to hope there's enough left to send to St. Mungo's." No one was sure if James was joking or not but they all knew that he was right either way.

Back upstairs Harry was still sitting on the bed with Tonks' wand pointed at him. He was looking at her with a look of such anger that the young Auror wouldn't have been surprised if she burst into flame and she had to suppress a shudder.

"Are you going to leave your wand where it is and talk to me or do I have to hex you?" Harry looked like he still wanted to pull his wand out but he opened his mouth to speak instead.

"Fine, you want to know what my problem is with you Nymphadora?" Tonks scowled at his use of that name but let it go unchallenged. "Ever since...what happened at the Department of Mysteries, everyone acts like they see me differently. Even Mum and Dad act like I'm a piece of fine china that's going to break at any minute. You're the only one who doesn't look at me different. You don't look at me at all! I know you blame me for what happened to Sirius but you don't even give me a chance to make things right between us!"

"How do you know that the reason I've been avoiding you isn't because I thought you blamed me for what happened to Sirius?"

"Because that's stupid!" Harry nearly yelled as he jumped to his feet. He actually grabbed his hair in his fists in frustration, causing it to stick out at odd angles and giving him a deranged appearance. "If I hadn't tried to be a bloody fucking hero and save everyone then none of us would've been there in the first place! I'm the reason that you and Hermione were hurt! I'm the reason that Ron had to stay in the Hospital Wing for a week! I'm the reason Sirius died!"

He pulled his wand out as the last words left his mouth and Tonks instinctively knew that he wasn't planning to use it on her. She rushed forward and embraced him before he did something stupid, finally realizing how he felt for the past month. Her anger was still there, there was no denying that, but now wasn't the time to deal with it. They could talk about that issue later, after everything else had been settled, but for now she needed to rectify her own mistake.

"I know it hurts but it's not your fault Harry, I promise. You went to the Department of Mysteries because you thought that Voldemort was going to kill all of us right?" She felt Harry nod against her, noticing for the first time that he was at least four inches taller than her now. "You went there to save us and we in turn came to save you. It works both ways. None of us knew what would happen to Sirius and in the end neither of us are to blame. We're not the ones who pushed him through the Veil. C'mon let's sit back down." She led him back over to the bed and gently pulled him down with her.

"I'm sorry about what I said down there," Harry told her after a few moments of silence. "I just..."

"I understand Harry. I'm not going to say that it's alright and I'm still not happy about it but I do forgive you. I want to talk about it later though." Harry nodded and they fell back into a comfortable silence. Tonks looked at Harry's wand again and noticed something different about its appearance, though she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was. After what seemed like an eternity she finally realized that the wood was darker than it used to be. There was only one reason she knew of for someone's wand to grow darker.

"Harry, did you kill someone last month?" The teen looked down at the floor, suddenly finding his shoes very interesting, and hesitantly nodded.

* * *

"I think we're getting ready to start the meeting so you might want to keep him from doing something else stupid Tonks." The Metamorphmagus heard Hermione's voice as though from a great distance and forced herself back to reality with a nod of her head. She and Harry followed the brunette down the hall, Tonks' left arm winding around Harry's right again. She pulled his wand out of its holster, the only person with standing permission to do so, and examined it. Just like a year ago, it was darker than when she last noticed it.

"Who was it this time?" She didn't have to clarify the question for Harry to know what she meant.

"The only Death Eater who died that night."

"I thought he was killed by one of Thorfinn's stray curses."

"Convenient that. I was actually aiming at Dolohov for killing Ron but I missed obviously."

"If you want revenge on everyone who kills someone important to you then you're going to have a long list by the time this war's over I'm afraid."

"It's just Voldemort and Dolohov right now Dora. I'm leaving Bellatrix for you. I think you have more of a claim on her than I do." Tonks smiled a sad smile at him and removed her arm as they walked into the room where everyone else was waiting.

The "meeting" the Order had was closer to a systematic breakdown of all the reasons Harry was stupid for doing what he did. His parents yelled at him for over half an hour (Tonks thought they really could have done that in private). Following that were shorter lectures by Remus, Serene Black, Professor McGonagall, and finally by Molly Weasley, of all people. Harry's face became harder and stonier as time went on and Tonks was glad his wand was safe in her hands. After all the lectures and insults, accidental or otherwise, Mad-Eye ordered Harry to return home to his parents and sister and started to go on with the actual meeting until Harry interrupted him.

"No." The one simple word wasn't said overly loud but it was forceful and conveyed all of Harry's conviction and captured the attention of everyone in the room. That was one of the many reasons that Tonks loved Harry. Even if he didn't care for and wasn't even aware of it, the young man had taken up the mantle of a leader a long time ago and perfectly fell into the role. "I'm not going to go back there and place my family in even more danger like that."

"So you're going to make yourself an even easier target for You-Know-Who?" Mrs. Weasley asked. Harry's green eyes turned to her with such an icy look that the older woman actually shrank back a bit.

"You think I can't take care of myself?" Harry demanded. "I promise you I can. I've faced Voldemort several times before and, while I won't pretend it was easy, I did manage to walk away every time. And let's not forget that the last time I fought him I only knew half of what I know now. I've held my own and more against numerous Death Eaters. Hell, I've killed before and I'm not afraid to do it again." The room went silent at Harry's admission and several people looked around uncomfortably. Finally Kingsley gave voice to the question they were thinking.

"You've killed before Harry? When?"

"I used the Killing Curse on Nott at the Department of Mysteries," the teen responded in a quiet voice. "He wasn't the first one though."

* * *

Harry was still held in place on the tombstone, watching as Voldemort addressed his loyal followers. He paid little attention to what the newly resurrected Dark Lord was saying. He was focused solely on the body of the young man a few feet away from him. Though Harry hadn't known Cedric for very long, he liked the boy and did consider him to be a friend. Even if he wasn't a friend, no one deserved to die like that just because they were in the way. With a pang Harry was suddenly reminded that his grandmother was killed for the same reason. It wasn't until Voldemort went over to Cedric's body that Harry gave the Dark Lord his full attention.

"Such a handsome boy," Voldemort said mockingly as he turned Cedric's face over with his foot.

"Don't you touch him!" Harry snarled, anger beginning to replace his fear. His outburst caused Voldemort to look up at him in shock, almost as though he forgot about the teen being there.

"Ah, yes, Harry Potter. Thank you for helping me return to my body." He quickly darted up to Harry's side. "Now I can touch you!" Despite his anger, Harry let out a scream of agony as Voldemort placed a bony finger on his forehead. The Dark Lord waved his wand, letting Harry fall to the ground, and used the Cruciatus Curse to continue torturing the boy who brought about his first downfall. He only held the curse for a few seconds before letting Harry get back to his feet.

"And now we'll have the Boy-Who-Lived face off against the Heir of Salazar Slytherin. You've been taught how to duel I presume? First we bow to each other." Voldemort slightly lowered himself but Harry remained standing, not giving the Dark Lord the satisfaction of following his command. "Come now Harry, the niceties must be observed, Dumbledore wouldn't want you to forget your manners. I said BOW!"

Voldemort pointed his wand at Harry who bent at the waist as though an invisible hand was pushing on his back. He had barely stood back up when a spell was sent his way and only the unerring reflexes of a Seeker saved him. The teen ran as fast as he could and was just able to make behind the safety of one of the tombstones. He both heard and felt it crack under Voldemort's spell.

"Look at me Harry Potter!" the Dark Lord commanded. "I want to see the light leave your eyes when you join your stupid friend in death!" The insult to Cedric replaced all the fear Harry had begun to feel again not only with rage but with the desire to kill. He stepped out from behind the marble slab with a look on his face that caused some of the Death Eaters to falter. Even Voldemort himself was eying the youth with curiosity.

"I think you'll find it harder than you originally thought. AVADA KEDAVRA!" Voldemort started to scoff before seeing the green spell leave Harry's wand and was forced to quickly Disapparate and Apparate back into place to avoid it. The Death Eater behind him, McNair possibly though Harry wasn't sure and didn't really care, wasn't as fortunate and fell to the ground dead when the spell hit him. A snarl was now on Voldemort's face and he sent his own Killing Curse to Harry as the teen immediately sent another one.

The two green spells met in the middle and a gold line formed between the two wands. Everyone looked on in shock as more lines formed around the two, enclosing them. The Death Eaters began to rush forward to help their master.

"Stay back!" Voldemort yelled, seemingly as perplexed as everyone else. He watched on in shock as golden beads appeared on the line. Something in the back of Harry's mind told him not to let the beads go into his wand and, with all of his concentration, he was able to force them into Voldemort's wand. As the beads disappeared into the white piece of wood that was the Dark Lord's wand, an image of Cedric came out followed by a Muggle man Harry didn't know and his grandparents.

"You've got to escape Harry," his grandfather told him. "We'll help you but we can only linger for a moment." Harry nodded and turned to Cedric, giving him a look of sorrow.

"I don't regret it Harry," the older boy told him. "All I ask is that you take my body back to my parents." Harry nodded again and, with a great effort, managed to tear his wand away from Voldemort's. He took off running towards Cedric's body and the Portkey even as he heard the Dark Lord yell for his followers to stop him. He put a hand on his fallen friend, Summoned the Cup, and disappeared just before a spell hit the spot he had been kneeling in.

* * *

Tonks looked at Harry with a horrified look on her face that mirrored almost everyone else's. Few people had ever heard what had happened at the graveyard and now that she did, the pink-haired Auror physically hurt for the man she loved. She had known that what little bit of a childhood Harry had was taken from him that night but she never realized how fast the event had caused him to grow up. Harry Potter had gone to the graveyard as a fairly innocent, fourteen-year-old and returned as a scarred man in their early thirties.

"But Harry," Mrs. Weasley began, "if we start killing then we're no better than they are." Tonks saw the look of pained nostalgia on Harry's face change and she knew that the redheaded matriarch had chosen the wrong words.

"None of you have to go through what I do!" Harry shouted, causing the older woman to flinch and shy away from him again. "The most powerful Dark Wizard in history doesn't have a personal vendetta against any of you! None of you are destined to be the one to defeat him! None of you have to deal with the fact that people are killed to save your life! None of you endanger the people around you just because you exist!

"Voldemort and his fucking Death Eaters are trying to kill me and everyone in this room because you're all associated with me. I don't care about what happens to me, I care about everyone else. People die because of me and I won't let it go unpunished."

"No one died because of you Harry," a deep voice to Hermione's left said. Harry looked at the man who said it: Orion Levington, Hermione's boyfriend. Though he had just graduated from Hogwarts and was only a few months eighteen, he had already established himself as one of the leading members of the Order. He was both powerful and intelligent, rivaling Harry and Hermione, and had a tactical mind that Ron would have been proud of; on more than one occasion he managed to turn what should have been a crushing defeat for the Order into a resounding victory. His reassuring voice and calm personality commanded respect and garnered him a certain amount of authority, even if he wasn't fully aware of it.

"Of course they did," Harry snapped back, more hostile than he meant to be. "My grandparents died to protect me. Cedric died because I convinced him to take the Cup with me. Sirius died because I went to the Department of Mysteries. Dumbledore died because he tried to protect me. Ron died because I asked him to help patrol the castle. What's the recurring theme in all those scenarios? Me!"

"You have to look at who's on the other side of all this too," Orion calmly replied, not the least bit perturbed by Harry's tone. "Your grandparents died protecting you from Voldemort. Cedric was killed because Voldemort wanted to return to his body. Sirius died fighting Voldemort. Dumbledore died because Voldemort wanted him dead. Ron died because Voldemort wanted to kill Dumbledore. Everyone in this room right now is here because of Voldemort. Everyone you named might have died around you, but they were murdered because of Voldemort."

"As important as it may be, now isn't the time to have this conversation," James suddenly spoke up. "My son obviously has no intentions of returning to our home, as he thinks he'll put us in even more danger. While I don't agree with you Harry, and I think you went about this the wrong way, I do admire your selflessness and your conviction. Still it doesn't change the fact that you'll be putting yourself in more danger than necessary by doing that and you need somewhere safe to stay at least until your birthday. Does anyone have any ideas?" Mad-Eye opened his mouth to object but Lily beat him to it.

"There's nothing you can say Mad-Eye, this isn't your decision. We're his parents and we discussed this at length after he left. If Harry really wants to protect us that much then how can we so no to that? His heart's in the right place and we can't fault him for it. Nevertheless, James is right, he does need somewhere safe to stay."

"He can stay with me," Tonks volunteered. She wasn't surprised when Harry rounded on her with a look of defiance in his face.

"No bloody way Dora. If I don't want to endanger my family then what makes you think I want to put you in danger instead?"

"What makes you think I'll be in any more danger than usual just because you're with me Harry? First off, they have no reason to suspect that I'm keeping you hidden away. Furthermore, I can get up and leave without disrupting my life if anything does happen." Harry began to protest but the young woman cut him off. "Damn it, don't turn this into another argument Harry. You try your best to protect everyone else, now let us help protect you."

"You should go with her Harry," Hermione spoke up. She looked at Orion and he merely nodded his agreement.

"If you're not coming back home then I'll feel much better knowing you're with Tonks," Rose added. James and Lily agreed with her but Harry knew that Rose had a deeper meaning.

"Alright, fine," Harry consented. "I'll stay with you but I want the damn place warded to hell and back." Tonks smirked as if to say that was a given and finally gave Harry his wand back as she took her seat. The real meeting finally got underway and didn't last very long, most likely because everyone was ready to leave. When it was over, Harry had an emotional farewell with his family and Hermione and allowed Tonks to Apparate them back to the Leaky Cauldron. After quickly packing his things, thanks almost entirely to Tonks' wand work, they used the fireplace at the pub to Floo to her flat. Harry looked around at the place and noted that it had barely changed since the first time he was there.

* * *

James and Lily were both currently doing something with the Order and, since they didn't want to leave Harry and by extension Rose on their own, both had to stay with members of the Order. Rose, who was very good friends with Ginny Weasley, stayed with the redheaded family. Harry wanted to stay with Sirius, where he could visit Ron and Hermione as he pleased without being crammed in at the Burrow, but both his godfather and Serene were busy. When Tonks offered to let him stay with her, claiming that she would be off work for the next few days and had nothing better to do anyway, he jumped at the offer. Though he had only known the young Auror for a few weeks, he was already comfortable around her and knew enough about her to know that they could easily get along. He didn't know as much about her as he wanted to but hoped that staying with her would change that.

"So what's it like being the Boy-Who-Lived?" Tonks asked as they ate. Harry snorted, showing his displeasure at the title.

"Like I can't make a mistake," he replied scornfully. "If it was just me, Harry Potter, things would be better but everyone's watching the Boy-Who-Lived. Never mind that Harry has his own life to live and that he wants to be normal and that he's famous for the death of his grandparents. Everyone wants their hero to be the person they have built up in their head and they're always disappointed to find that I'm not like what they expected."

"I completely understand," Tonks replied. "I have the same problem myself. Not the celebrity part of course," she quickly added, seeing the look on his face, "but that everyone's disappointed to find out that I'm not what they expect. I use my abilities to change my appearance to what I like and most blokes either think that what they see is the real me or that I'm really drop dead gorgeous or something. It always disappoints them when I don't look like they expect me to."

"So what do you really look like?"

"I'm afraid I don't show the real me to blokes on the first date Harry." She expected the teen to blush profusely and drop the subject but she was surprised to find only a light blush and a cheeky grin. Apparently he wasn't affected very strongly by flirting, which should have been more obvious considering who his parents and godparents were.

"Well then how about we consider this the third date?"

"Third date? We skipped one didn't we?" Her words made Harry chuckle.

"Well don't they say the third time is the charm?" Tonks found herself smiling at his quick wit and good humor.

"Alright Prince Charming, I'll show you but you can't go around asking for it all the time. Deal?" Harry nodded and Tonks screwed up her face in concentration. When the change was finished, she opened her eyes and looked at Harry expectantly. He was looking at her with his mouth open and, after several seconds of agonizing silence, Tonks decided she couldn't take it anymore. "Alright, you've got to say something Harry." The teen didn't realize until that moment that he had been silently staring at her.

"Sorry. Wow. Any bloke who's disappointed about the real you is a fucking idiot." Tonks smiled at the sincerity in his words. Though she swore she would never tell him this, his compliment meant more to her than anyone else's.

"Thanks Harry," she told him before returning to her dinner.

* * *

Harry watched as Tonks pulled out two butterbeers from her refrigerator and headed towards the table, handing one to him as she passed. He was truly grateful for what she had done for him, not just that day but over the past two years he had known her. While they did have their disagreements from time to time, he wouldn't trade his time with her for anything. There was a part of him that was sure that her mere presence had made things better for him ever since losing Sirius and he had to let her know.

"Thanks Dora," he told her, grabbing her hand before she was out of reach.

"Thanks for what Harry?" the young woman asked, a confused look on her face.

"Everything," was Harry's simple reply as he pulled her back to him. This time he was the one who initiated their kiss.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I forgot to mention in the first chapter that I'm including things that Rowling herself has admitted that would be canon. She admitted that Lily was pregnant with her daughter when she died and that she wanted James to make peace with Snape and for him to be the godfather, ergo that's why Snape is so friendly with the Potters. I also want to point out that the argument between Harry and Tonks is directly inspired by chapter 12 of "The Rebel and the Chosen" by chelseyb. It's a great story that I would highly recommend to everyone.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

* * *

 **Footsteps**

 _The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have.-Vince Lombardi_

It had been nearly a week since Harry had been living with Tonks and he had to admit that he was thoroughly enjoying himself. He also had to grudgingly admit that he was safer with Tonks than he thought he would be and much safer than if he was by himself. Between Tonks' skills (which were very formidable) and the extra security added to the place, there wasn't as much for Harry to worry about as he was initiated concerned with. He spent the days while Tonks was at work either doing homework or watching the television and when she returned home the rest of the night was spent enjoying time with her.

The first night Tonks had practically forced Harry to sleep in her bed while she took the couch. Harry made it perfectly clear after that first night that he was going to take the couch from that point on. To make it easier on him, and as a reward for his chivalry, Tonks transfigured the couch into a bed every night and changed it back in the morning. It didn't take them long to settle into a routine. Tonks was notorious for not being a morning person while Harry was used to waking up in the early hours of the morning so he usually had their breakfast ready. A grateful Tonks would sit at the table and eat whatever he gave her without complaint and usually rush out the door with a hurried thanks and a wave of her wand to change the couch back into a couch.

There hadn't been any more kisses since those first two beyond a peck on the cheek or a light and quick brush of the lips. In fact, other than the emotionally charged touches, there wasn't much indication that anything had happened. While Harry was confused and somewhat frustrated, he didn't know how to approach Tonks. He didn't want to seem like he was pushing her into something that she may not be quite ready for yet. He was also terrified to find out that she may even regret the kiss.

Despite the slight turmoil this caused, Harry couldn't deny that he was happy where he was. The past year, which had been rough in and of itself, was complicated even further by the limited amount of time the two had spent with each other. He honestly couldn't remember having this good of a time since Christmas.

* * *

James and Lily had invited the Order to their house for Christmas and nearly half of the members had showed up. The house was packed with people, nearly one-fourth of them being the Weasley family, but that made it all the more lively. The only person who wasn't there that bothered Harry was Tonks. She had to work early in the day but promised to be there by late afternoon. The other damper on the holiday spirit was of course the fact that it was his first Christmas without Sirius.

Despite still missing his godfather, Harry knew that Padfoot wouldn't want him to be unhappy so he didn't let himself be brought down. Nonetheless he, Serena, Remus, and the rest of his family took a moment to remember the fallen Marauder that morning at James' suggestion. Harry had always looked up to his father and this gesture, no matter how small or insignificant it had seemed, earned the man even more respect in his son's eyes. The teen was currently taking part in a game of riddles with the older man, each trying their best to stump the other first. They were deadlocked until Harry had difficulty with a particular riddle and Lily stepped in to answer for him.

"I knew that one Mum," Harry whined as James cackled and celebrated his victory with a long drink of Firewhiskey.

"Of course you did sweetheart. Now c'mon, I need your help with cooking dinner." Harry grumbled all the way into the kitchen but in reality he actually almost liked helping his mother cook. James would readily admit that he couldn't cook to save his life and, while Rose was a skilled chef, she was oftentimes over enthusiastic and liked to experiment too much. This typically left Lily and Harry to do the cooking for big events and holidays and the two used the time to bond.

Harry had developed a strong bond with his mother over the years that was noticeably less hostile than the one he had with his father. James was very protective of his son while Harry, who had already faced more than many much older Wizards ever had, felt smothered. Furthermore father and son were both very passionate about their beliefs and they argued for hours when an issue came up that they disagreed on, neither willing to admit that the other might even remotely be right and usually ending with them angry with each other. On the other hand, though Lily did worry about her son she also realized that he was very capable and didn't coddle him. Not only that but she was more open-minded and could admit that, though she may not always agree with what Harry believed, it didn't mean that he was wrong.

After finishing helping Lily (it would still be a couple of hours before dinner), Harry took a butterbeer out of the refrigerator and went into the sitting room. He saw Rose talking to Ginny Weasley and snuck up behind the unsuspecting girl, pressing his finger to his lips as he did so. He wrapped his free arm around her stomach and lifted her up, causing Ginny to giggle and Rose to give out a gasp of surprise.

"Alright that's enough Harry," Rose told him almost immediately, knowing that he was the only one to dare pick her up like that, "let me down." He gently put his sister back on her feet and gave her a light push. In retaliation Rose turned around, snatched the butterbeer out of his hand, and drank the rest of it before he could stop her. Harry stood looking at Rose's mischievous grin in astonishment for a few seconds before picking her up and carrying her towards the front door. "DON'T YOU DARE DO IT HARRY JAMES POTTER!" Rose yelled at the top of her lungs, fully aware that he was planning on dumping her in the snow. "Help me Ginny!"

"I'm afraid you're on your own here Rosie." Rose's mature response was to stick her tongue out at her best friend and continue to struggle against her brother in vain. The commotion drew the attention of everyone else and they all ignored the two siblings. It was well-known that, though they were constantly aggravating each other, they had a great relationship. They had arguments and even a few rows of course, as all siblings do, but they usually got along very well. As if to prove that, Rose popped back up immediately after her brother dropped her and hit him with a snowball. Harry was about to retaliate when he felt someone suddenly hug him from behind; he knew only one person who did that.

"Dora!" Harry turned and grabbed the Auror into a bone-crushing hug and lifted her off her feet much as he did his little sister. It was a hug that was reserved for only four people, the other three being Hermione, Rose, and Lily, and it brought a smile to Tonks' face every time she was on the receiving end of one. She giggled in delight as Harry gently set her on her feet and raised an eyebrow at Rose as she walked past them. The youngest Potter shook her head and gave a wave of her hand, indicating that she would explain later, and trudged back into the house. Tonks focused her attention back to Harry and gave him a peck on the cheek, knowing full well that everyone else was inside.

"Happy Christmas Harry," she told him, pressing a rectangular box into his hands. Harry looked at her quizzically and she merely gestured at the box. Following her silent orders, the teen tore the wrapping paper of his present and opened it to find a wand holster. He already one of course, his parents both worked at the Ministry and had drilled it into his head from an early age, but it was one of James' old ones. This one was made of black dragon hide and had the initials "HJP" on it.

"Thanks Dora!" Harry exclaimed, pulling off the holster he had on and slipping his new one on his belt. "It's perfect," he added, putting his wand into it. "I've got something for you too. Hold on a minute." He pulled her into the house and fled upstairs. Tonks grabbed some of the snacks sitting on a table and a butterbeer, greeted the people who spoke to her, and waited for Harry to come back down. By the time he had returned, Snape had appeared and was giving Rose the present he had for her.

"Odd isn't it?" Tonks began, sensing more than seeing Harry beside her. "James and Severus hated each other at Hogwarts from what I've been told and now he's Rosie's godfather. It's strange how people can have such animosity between them at one point in their lives and be great friends at another point."

"Yeah it is weird. Dad and Sirius said they used to call him Snivellus, but he and Mum were best friends until he called her a certain word in their fifth year. That practically broke their friendship but Mum apparently still cared about him. She was the one who wanted him and Dad to make amends and make him Rose's godfather." As Harry spoke, Tonks felt his hand close around hers and leave behind a small square box. "It's strange to see Severus here when they used to loathe each other. I don't know if I could do that."

"Oh Harry," Tonks replied as she opened the box. She had barely been paying attention to his words, focusing her efforts on the box in her hands instead. Inside was a beautiful but simple ring. It was made of two bands wound around each other, one band silver and the other white gold. "I love it," she told him as she put it on.

"I couldn't think of anything to make you this year so I thought you'd like that. Happy Christmas Dora." The rest of the day was a blur for Harry. He vaguely remembered his father getting drunk and singing along with the radio, finally managing to convince Serene to join him. He remembered watching Ron and Rose arguing over a chess match and seeing what he thought was the beginning of a romance between them. He remembered Remus and Severus teasing each other in good nature as they nursed their Firewhiskey. He remembered his mother, Tonks, and Ginny all sitting around entertaining the other two with their own tales from Hogwarts. As he finally lay down in bed much later that night, Harry couldn't help but think that Sirius would have been proud.

* * *

In order to repay her for letting him stay with her (and because Tonks once managed to burn water), Harry usually did most of the cooking. Tonks tended to take the job of cleaning their dishes and to her credit, she had only broken two plates so far. It always amused Harry whenever she did so, earning him a glare and a Stinging Hex. To her credit, she didn't manage to break any that night but she came close when she tripped over the rug in front of the sink.

They spent the rest of the night as they usually did: sitting on the couch talking about anything and everything or simply watching television. Though the two knew each other quite well, there was always something new they discovered whenever they talked and they loved their conversations for that reason alone. Tonks was especially interested in all the details Harry had left out from his sixth year. The teen was all too happy to share everything with her except for one thing that caused a sharp and still fresh pain.

"Rosie took Ron's death really hard Dora, even harder than I did I think. I feel sure they were either together or on their way. I know it has to be hard to lose someone that you feel that way about."

"And yet you went off and left her as soon as you returned home." Harry sent her a glare that would have normally sent shivers of unease down her back but now she just stared right back at him, refusing to break eye contact. When it became apparent that Tonks wasn't backing down, Harry looked away and heaved a great sigh.

"Can we just let that go now Dora? I know I fucked up about that alright."

"Yeah you're right, I shouldn't keep bringing it up. You should've seen how that girl was acting though Harry." Tonks screwed up her face and the Boy-Who-Lived was suddenly looking at the image of his sister. "'When I find him Tonks I swear I'm going to kill him! Voldemort is going to be nothing compared to me!'" Harry laughed at Tonks' antics as she changed back into herself and he was suddenly reminded of the time they admitted their feelings for each other.

* * *

Harry and Tonks sat at the kitchen table in Tonks' apartment, passing a bottle of Firewhiskey back and forth. Harry had just turned sixteen a few days ago and this was really the first time they spent together since Sirius' death. James and Lily were both aware that Tonks would likely offer Harry the alcohol, she had before after all and the two friends had some catching up to do, and they honestly didn't mind as long as she didn't let him go overboard. Harry took a drink, shivering slightly at the burning sensation in his throat, and passed the bottle back to Tonks before finishing the story about his sister.

"I've honestly never seen Dad yell at her like that. Rosie has a temper but even she was scared to death of him then. I don't think she'll smoke again any time soon."

"Hmm I imagine not," Tonks responded, taking a drink of the alcohol herself. "James can be scary when he wants to be. Anyway, how's it feel to go from an attention-seeking brat to the Chosen One who's going to save us all?" A grin tugged at the corners of her mouth and Harry knew she was just teasing him. If it had been anyone else he would have likely lost his temper at them but he was well aware that she knew how he felt.

"It feels like everyone can go fuck themselves," he spat with venom, snatching the bottle out of her hand and taking a long drink. So much for not losing his temper. "I'm a raving lunatic when it's convenient for them and then their hero when they decide they need one. If Voldemort didn't want me dead personally then I'd tell everyone to sod off and find a nice island to live on."

"You and I both know you can't do that, even if Voldemort didn't necessarily want you dead. You're too noble to let people die just because they treated you unfairly. It's odd for the Prophet to print something so ridiculous though just to make everyone feel better."

"It's even more odd that they've actually got it right, especially since none of them know what the Prophecy really said."

"And I take it that you do?"

"Yeah. It was originally told to Dumbledore and he used his Pensieve to show me. The only other ones who know are Mum, Dad, and Rose. Ron and Hermione do too of course but they're both like family. I've wanted to tell you but the only time we've had an extensive conversation since I found out was when we were yelling at each other, and that didn't seem like the best time." Tonks was touched that he wanted to tell her something that only those most dear to him knew so she did what she usually did when his words touched her: tried to take the mickey out of him.

"So I'm not like family huh?" She didn't expect the answer he gave her.

"Of course you are but it's different for you. They're like siblings whereas you're more like, well you're not like a sister." The words were left hanging in the air and Harry's meaning was obvious. At a rare loss for words, Tonks motioned for the bottle Harry still held and took a drink long enough to rival the one he just had.

"So, what-what did this Prophecy say?" Harry told her what the Prophecy said, leaving her afraid for him and with a newfound sense of respect for the young man beside her. "That's rough Harry," she said, rubbing his shoulder comfortingly. It was a gross understatement of course but it was the first thing that popped into her head.

"Yeah it is. I'm not really surprised though. It makes sense when you think about how hell bent he is on killing me." They sat in silence for a few minutes, just passing the nearly empty bottle of Firewhiskey back and forth until Tonks decided to lighten the mood.

"So who was that bloke Hermione was with at the station?"

"His name's Orion...Levington? I think that's what she said his name is. He's apparently a year ahead of us in Ravenclaw. She met him at the library of course and they seem to have really hit it off. Why, you like his blue hair and brown eyes?"

"Nah, I'm more partial to green eyes and black hair."

"Hmm, well I expect them to be together by the time we go back to Hogwarts."

"What about her and Ron?"

"Any attraction they had to each other was only skin deep. They talked about it and both agreed that a relationship wouldn't work between them."

"Oh I see. Poor Ron. Well what about you? What happened between you and that bird you told me about? Did you ever patch things up?"

"Oh you mean Cho. She apologized and tried to pick up where we left off but it just ended up falling apart. Not that I care really. If she has a problem with me being friends with Hermione then I don't want anything to do with her."

"You do know that your friendship with Hermione is going to take its toll on your dating life right?"

"Yeah she said something to that effect too. It doesn't matter though. Cho wasn't the one I wanted to be with." Something about the way he looked at her when he said that made Tonks realize exactly who his feelings were for.

"I know. Nothing can happen right now though."

"I know and I'm going to wait as long as I have to." She gave him a brief smile.

"I know that too." She brushed her hand against his and he loosely grabbed it. They sat there like that in comfortable silence again for a few minutes before another question jumped into Tonks' brain. "If you didn't really want to be with this girl then why did you ask her on a date?" Harry snorted, looking as though he expected her to ask that much sooner.

"At the time I thought it was better to be with anyone than be by myself."

"And now?"

"Now I think it's better to be without the one you want than with one you don't want."

"Merlin Harry, why do you have to say things like that? It makes me want to throw out all the reasons I tell myself that we can't be together right now and just snog you senseless." She moved her hand out of his grasp and ran it through her pink hair, sighing in frustration. "This isn't fair Harry! I hate that we have to stay just friends for right now! I hate that I don't know if you'll feel the same this time next year! I hate that I can't go out with you and let everyone know how much you mean to me!"

"I know Dora, I hate it too. But I can promise you that my feelings aren't going to change. Hell, I'm not even going on a date with anyone, let alone anything else."

"Really? There's a lot of nice birds at Hogwarts."

"Maybe," Harry responded with a shrug, "but they're not you. I meant it when I said that I'll wait as long as I have to. You'll be worth the wait." The look on Tonks' face showed how much Harry's words meant to her and she wracked her brain to come up with something, anything, that might make it easier on both of them.

"Maybe we don't have to hide everything," she began, an idea suddenly striking her. Harry looked at her expectantly, attempting to take another drink of Firewhiskey and finding an empty bottle. "You remember that movie we watched where the bloke told that bird 'I see you' instead of saying 'I love you'?" Harry gave a simple nod. "Well I see you Harry."

"I see you Dora."

* * *

"What's on your mind?" Tonks asked, noticing his unfocused expression.

"Where are we Dora?" Harry finally had the courage to ask. He was tired of not knowing how to breach the subject and decided that the best thing to do was to be blunt and straightforward.

"Er, in my flat?" she offered, not sure where he was going with this.

"No I mean as far as our relationship goes. Are we together? Are we still just friends? Where are we?" Tonks sighed and sat down next to him, taking his hand in hers. She was honestly surprised that he hadn't already asked her this question.

"Harry for the past eighteen months I've wanted to snog you senseless every time I saw you. I wanted to run up to you and feel your arms around me whenever we met up. After the Department of Mysteries I wanted to comfort you until it didn't hurt anymore, even if that took the rest of my life. I want to be with you so much now that we actually can be together but I'm afraid. I'm afraid that if I just go straight from being friends to more than that that everything I wanted to do will come forth at once. I want to take it slow at first, light kisses, lingering touches, things like that, and go from there."

"So you're-what, worried about damaging our friendship?"

"Of course not. I think we both know that our friendship will be perfectly fine. I'm worried that I'll take you into that bedroom and we won't come out until this time next year. I just want to get used to the idea of us being together before I let it happen."

"Alright," Harry said after a moment's silence. "I'm not going to pretend that I know what you're talking about but I'll follow your lead."

"Good," Tonks responded, relieved. She didn't want to have to tell him the real reason she was hesitant now, at least not yet. The truth was that Tonks had fallen very hard for Harry and her feelings had only intensified for the past several months. It terrified her that Harry's feelings for her might have changed. Though he had initiated their second kiss, there was a voice in the back of her head that kept making her feel very insecure. The young Auror would readily admit that she was a flirt but when it came to someone that she had actual feelings for all of the confidence she usually possessed seemed to take a leave of absence.

"I think I'm going to bed Harry," Tonks announced. "I'm knackered."

"I am too. I need to get up early tomorrow morning to work on some of my homework."

"I don't understand why you're still doing it if you aren't planning on returning next year."

"Force of habit I guess. Besides between Hermione, Rose, and Mum, I'd be dead if I didn't do my homework. There's always a chance I'll go back after this is all over with too and hopefully this will help." Tonks couldn't fault his logic, especially since he was ultimately attempting to better himself, so she said nothing. Instead, she gave him a hug and a quick peck on the cheek before rising from the couch, changing it into a bed, and going into her room.

Tonks had been asleep for nearly an hour when she heard a yell come from the sitting room. Without a second thought, she grabbed her wand from its position on the nightstand, threw the covers off, and raced into the other room. She found Harry thrashing about on the bed in the midst of what appeared to be a rather intense nightmare. The teen cried out his sister's name and Tonks felt her heart break; she had no idea what he was dreaming about but she knew it was tormenting him.

* * *

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Rose, and Ginny were all at the Burrow for a party that was being held by the Weasleys and paid for by the Potters. It was for everyone in the Order and mainly an attempt to help them all shake the pain of having lost Sirius, at least for a short while. It was especially helpful to Harry, who hadn't been the same since his godfather's death. The row and subsequent talk a week ago with Tonks helped perk him somewhat but the change was barely noticeable. It was obvious that the young teen was sinking into depression and James couldn't stand seeing that happen to his son.

The party was certainly lifting Harry's mood, at least on the surface. No one was sure if his feelings outside reflected how he felt inside but Rose for one was convinced that her brother was still feeling terrible. Hermione seemed to echo the younger girl's thoughts and the two of them were attempting to include Harry in everything they did. It seemed that they were slightly successful in their endeavors until a random spell flew past them. The others paid little attention to it, as some of the older partygoers were dueling, but Harry was on full alert. He knew that something was off about the spell but couldn't put his finger on what it was. It took him only a few seconds to realize that it had come from the wrong direction, an easy detail to miss if one wasn't paying attention. He looked behind him and immediately threw himself to the ground, pulling everyone else with him.

"Get down!" he demanded. The group barely hit the dirt before several more spells flew over their heads, disappearing off into the distance. "Death Eaters!" Harry yelled out to everyone else. The words garnered the attention of the rest of the people there and they turned as one to face the threat. Unfortunately it seemed that Voldemort's followers had disappeared just as quickly as they had appeared until a second flurry of spells came from behind them. Harry, who happened to be facing the right direction again, threw up a Shield Charm that managed to deflect the brunt of the assault. The adults turned to face their attackers before they could vanish again and a fierce battle broke out. Ron and Hermione were too busy worrying about Harry using magic under age to notice much of what was going on around them however.

"What's more important," Harry began, "being expelled from Hogwarts or your life?" Without waiting for an answer he pointed his wand at one of the Death Eaters and yelled, "Diffindo!" The spell cut the man's arm, distracting him long enough for Lily to Stun him. Beside him, he heard Rose yell "Sectumsempra!" and watched as the spell cut open another unfortunate Death Eater.

"Severus taught me," she informed Ron, Hermione, and Ginny with a shrug. Harry nodded at her and used the same spell with nothing more than a wave of his wand. Snape, McGonagall, and to a lesser extent Dumbledore had all helped him learn silent spell casting during the year at James and Lily's insistence. He only used it when it was beneficial for him however, not willing to let Voldemort know that he was skilled in something that he shouldn't learn until the coming school year. The spell had barely been cast when something threw Harry back to the ground. As he rolled to avoid whatever was coming his way, the teen noticed a Death Eater suddenly appear behind James.

"Watch out Dad!" he shouted, foregoing his own safety for the moment. His warning was apparently enough to save James but, focused as he was on his father, Harry failed to see the man pointing his wand at them. The Death Eater fired off a spell that missed Harry and made contact with Rose instead, throwing the young girl back to the ground where she lay motionless. Harry watched it all in slow motion and leaped to his feet again with an almighty roar. He brought his wand down in a sharp motion and the Death Eater was thrown to the ground himself. The man wasn't dead but neither did he show signs of life either; it didn't even seem like he was breathing.

The apparent loss of his sister seemed to finally push Harry over the edge and he now fought like a man possessed, all thoughts of his safety and any laws pushed from his mind. He didn't try to kill anyone, which shocked Ron and Hermione, but he was more dangerous than anyone had ever seen him. Again and again he brought down his wand and again and again another Death Eater joined his fellows on the ground. When Tonks finally arrived with several other Aurors to accompany her, only a few of Voldemort's followers were left standing. The young Metamorphmagus started to go over to Harry before watching him walk over to Rose and sink down beside her, gathering her head in his hands. Nearly everyone stopped what they were doing when they heard the Boy-Who-Lived cry his sister's name, seemingly oblivious to the breath she was still drawing.

* * *

Harry sat up in the bed as his dream came to an end, his wand in his hand and sweat rolling down his face. He looked around in panic before his eyes fell on the young woman beside the bed. Tonks opened her arms for him and he fell into her, wrapping her into a tight hug that she willingly returned. Harry didn't cry but it was obvious that the dream had greatly pained him and he needed comfort that Tonks wanted to give. Eventually he started talking to her.

"I dreamt about the attack on the Burrow last summer," he told her. "Rose, I thought she was..." He didn't have to finish his sentence for her to know what he was going to say.

"Shh, shh, it's over now Harry. Nothing happened to Rose, she's still with us, and you helped set back Voldemort's plans that day. None of us were hurt. C'mon." She took his hand and led him into her bedroom, gently pushing him down onto the bed. Tonks considered sleeping in the other room for only a second before climbing in beside Harry and wrapping her arms around him again; it wasn't long before they were both fast asleep.

* * *

 **Author's Note: So I wanted to give some slight insight on Harry's relationship with his family and I'm hoping I did a decent job. For those of you who want more, I can promise that there will be more flashbacks of the entire Potter family. I also want to clarify something about the fight in Harry's dream. Yes Harry is powerful in this story, I'm going with the assumption that James and Lily helped him realize his power much sooner than in canon, but he's not powerful enough to face an army of Death Eaters by himself without suffering any damage. The biggest reason he was so effective is because the Death Eaters weren't paying attention to him until it was too late. Harry is not going to be an all-powerful super being in this story who has the potential to defeat Voldemort by looking at him. He will be powerful of course, as we see evidence of in canon, but his power will be believable.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

* * *

 **Seal the Deal and Let's Boogie**

Tonks woke up to an empty bed and the smell of breakfast, specifically sausage, invading her flat. On one hand she was disappointed that she didn't woke up with Harry beside her but on the other hand the fact that he was up and cooking as he usually did was a very good sign that he slept soundly. She stretched her body, enjoying the feeling, and dragged herself out of bed and into the kitchen. Seeing Harry standing there looking much more relaxed than he had just a few hours ago brought a small smile to Tonks' face despite the lingering sleep that still plagued her.

"Morning Dora," Harry told her, sitting the food on the table. The young woman's response was a sharp nod as she sat down and started to fill her plate. Harry sat down opposite of her. "Thanks for last night. It really helped. And I understand why you want to take things slow between us now." That caught Tonks off guard.

"What do you mean?" she asked, nearly choking in her haste to swallow her food.

"When I woke up this morning it was all I could do to not wake you up too and snog you senseless." The look on the teen's face was completely serious so Tonks couldn't be sure, but she was fairly certain that he didn't just want to snog her. While she wasn't exactly opposed to what she assumed he wanted to do, it brought back the real reason they weren't together yet and it pained her. Still, she couldn't bring herself to have the conversation at the moment so she didn't say anything.

The rest of the meal was spent in comfortable banter, both falling back into their routine of trying to make the other blush. Since both were very comfortable with each other, and knew the other even better than they knew themselves, this always proved to be a difficult task. This little game of theirs was devised by Tonks when it took her nearly a month after meeting Harry before she caused him to do anything that remotely resembled a blush. He explained that having Sirius as his godfather had made him much less susceptible to blushing than most others his age and the young Auror decided to put it to the test. Ironically it was Harry who made her blush before she made him. Since then it had evolved into a contest between the two of them that usually had no clear winner.

Sooner than either of them would have liked, it was time for Tonks to go to work. She kissed Harry, lingering just slightly longer than normal, and walked out the door before turning on her heel and Disapparating, leaving the teen alone in her flat. He had already finished some of the homework he had mentioned last night so he took the opportunity to look around the place. He knew Tonks' flat like the back of his hand of course, having spent a lot of time there, and though it hadn't changed much since when he had first been there, it seemed that there was always something new every time he was there. This was really the first time he had had since arriving to actually look around.

Other than a couple of pictures of her and Harry that had been taken at Christmas and a picture of her and Sirius on the latter's wedding day, there was nothing new this time and Harry instead started looking at the other pictures. Though he had seen these pictures multiple times he never grew tired of them. They all ranged from pictures of Tonks by herself to pictures of the Metamorphmagus with family and friends. There were even a couple of her and him together, though the first picture they had taken together was currently sitting in the place of honor on her nightstand. One particular picture seemed to draw Harry's eye. It was a picture of a beaming Tonks with her equally happy parents just after she had graduated from Hogwarts. Seeing it brought back fond memories of his own family.

* * *

Harry and Rose were in the backyard of the Potter house practicing Quidditch. The two had returned from Hogwarts just a few days ago, Harry from his third year and Rose from her first, and the young redhead wanted to follow in the footsteps of both her father and brother and join the Gryffindor Quidditch team, preferably as a Chaser like James had been. She knew there wasn't much chance of her getting on in the upcoming year or two but she wanted to be prepared when she had the chance. Furthermore, she was hoping that she could persuade Oliver Wood to put her on the team as a backup in case one of the others couldn't play. If she had any hope of that happening though she had to prove that she was good enough.

Harry had offered to help her in her endeavor, though he admitted that he wasn't very comfortable handling the Quaffle. James had offered to help too but he thus far hadn't been able to. Nevertheless, Rose seemed to be just as much a natural as Harry and James and picked up things rather quickly. Harry was proud of his little sister, even if he would never openly admit it, and he was planning to do everything he could to convince Wood to accept her as a backup.

While the main focus of their practice was to make Rose a better Chaser, Harry had also stressed to her the importance of being able to expertly dodge Bludgers. Since they didn't have any of the aggressive, somewhat dangerous balls they could use, Harry had been using his wand to fling large rocks and pieces of debris at her for the past half hour. He wanted her to understand that she not only needed to be able to dodge and move quickly, she also needed to be aware of everything around her. To get his point across, Harry was throwing things at her from all sides, sometimes even having things come back to her immediately after she dodged them. It greatly amused him the first time he had a rock fly back and hit her just a few seconds after she rolled to avoid it.

Part of the purpose of the practice was to humble Rose as well, which was another reason for Harry being so hard on her with the "Bludgers." Just like her brother, Rose was somewhat overconfident from having a father who was such an accomplished player and she needed to get the idea out of her head. Harry had to learn the hard way that his father's abilities were not his and he wanted to spare Rose that same hardship. Being confident while at the same time having humility was an important trait to have and it was one that Harry wanted Rose to learn easier than he had. He knew that his actions may upset her but he decided that he would rather have a sister who was angry with him than one who had an inflated sense of importance.

It was only after Rose had numerous, and very visible, bruises on her body and a look that could only be described as pure rage on her face that Harry decided to cease his onslaught. He threw the Quaffle at her (which she easily caught) and flew over to the goals they had erected earlier. Harry wasn't a very skilled Keeper but Rose wasn't exactly a skilled Chaser yet either, so they were well enough matched for Harry to be able to help her improve. If it wasn't already obvious that Rose was angry with Harry being so harsh earlier, it soon became apparent when she threw her first throw. Though Harry was able to catch it, he definitely felt the power behind the throw when it hurt his hands. The two continued in this vein for nearly an hour, with Rose scoring as many goals as Harry saved, before James and Lily came outside.

"You're doing a good job Rose," James complimented his daughter, "but you'll only improve if you practice with someone better than you. Harry?" The temporary Keeper nodded and flew over by Lily to let his father take his place in front of the goals. The two stood by the sidelines watching as Rose tried, and usually failed, to get the Quaffle past James.

"You know that was too much earlier Harry," Lily quietly said to her son. "I know you want to help her but there are some things she has to learn on her own."

"It wasn't just about Quidditch, Mum."

"I know and that's what I'm talking about." Lily smiled at the incredulous look on Harry's face. "Don't look so surprised. Your father had a very inflated opinion of himself for most of his time at Hogwarts, especially when it came to Quidditch. You had the same inflated opinion when you first started playing Seeker two years ago, though thankfully that was the extent of it for you. I'm very proud that you haven't let your status as the Boy-Who-Lived go to your head.

"Apparently having an overly inflated ego about something runs in the Potter family. Your father had one about everything, you had one about your Quidditch ability, and Rosie's ego falls somewhere in between you two. You need to let her deflate her head on her own though. It will be better learned that way and having an ego isn't necessarily a bad thing. Your sister has a lot to live up to between the three of us and it's her ego and pride that will help her accomplish that. Do you understand son?"

"Yes Mum," Harry responded in a quiet voice. If he knew that he was going to be scolded for attempting to help his sister then he wouldn't have even bothered.

"I'm not upset with you Harry," Lily continued. Knowing her son as she did, she was fairly certain that he felt as though she was scolding him, which couldn't be further from the truth. It was important for him to understand that so he wouldn't be discouraged from continuing to help and look out for Rose in the future. "It makes me so happy to know that you want to help and look out for your sister but you have to understand that there are times when we try to help someone and we end up hurting them in the long run. If everything is handed to Rose on a silver platter then she'll never learn to do things for herself. She needs to suffer humiliation just as you and James have in order to really have her ego put in check."

Harry merely nodded to his mother and the two continued to watch James and Rose. After nearly a half hour of letting the young redhead attempt to score, James ran his daughter through common Chaser maneuvers, both for a group and for one person. Harry couldn't deny that he was impressed with his sister's tenacity, knowing that most people would have gotten frustrated and given up by now. While Rose was visibly frustrated, one look at her face and the jerky movements of her broom proved that, she showed no sign of quitting. This told Harry, more than anything else, that she was determined to find a spot on the team and he further resolved to do everything he could to help her.

Never one to give his children unfair treatment, after an hour James called an end to his and Rose's practice and turned to Harry. He had an almost maniacal gleam in his eye and it wasn't hard to guess what was on his mind.

"Think you can catch the Snitch faster than your old man Harry?" The raven-haired teen didn't verbally respond, choosing instead to reply by mounting his broom and flying to his father's side. James looked at Lily, noting she had the small golden ball in her hand. "Let it go sweetheart." No sooner had the Snitch left her hand than Harry sped off after it, James less than a breath behind his son.

* * *

Harry smiled to himself. He had caught the Snitch the first time, despite his father's best efforts, and James managed to get to it the second time. They wanted to try for a third time, to see who the better Seeker truly was, but Lily had called an end to everything so they could eat dinner. They never did have that third time and Harry felt that it was long overdue.

Unsure what to do with himself now, as he had grown thoroughly tired of daytime television, he finally decided on continuing with his homework. He reasoned that at least he would be able to tell Hermione, Lily, and Rose that he was already finished with it this way. Despite what he told Tonks the night before, Harry really wasn't sure why he was still doing his schoolwork. Even if he did return to Hogwarts after Voldemort was defeated, he was sure that whether or not he did his homework from a year earlier wouldn't make a difference. There were many other things he could, and should, be doing, yet he was bound and determined to finish the work his teachers assigned.

The best reason Harry could come up with for this behavior was his attempt to cling to what was familiar. He would be lying if he said he wasn't scared and this gave him a weird sense of comfort. It let him know that despite everything that else that was happening, despite everything he himself was personally involved in, life went on for others. Even in the midst of a war with a sociopath who wanted to kill everyone he deemed unworthy, it was a comforting thought to know that not everyone had to directly deal with it. It was with this strangely uplifting thought that Harry delved back into his homework for nearly two hours.

After it became apparent that Harry couldn't stare at his Defense Against the Dark Arts book anymore (he liked Snape but there was no denying the man assigned a lot of homework), he decided his next course of action should be to go over what needed to be done. Pulling a new piece of parchment to him, the first thing the teen wrote down was the Horcruxes. He jotted down everything he knew about them and made some speculations as to where they could be. The next item in the list was to learn even more spells that could help him. Between his parents, Sirius, and Tonks, three of whom were Aurors, Harry already had more knowledge about dueling than most people his age but he knew it wasn't enough. He would need to be more prepared than anyone thought possible to face Voldemort. In essence, he had to attempt to learn half a century's worth of magic before he faced the Dark Lord.

The task before him had never seemed as daunting as it did at that moment. Though he had often thought about it before, it wasn't until then that Harry realized just how powerful Voldemort was. He had been so focused on finding and destroying the Horcruxes that he had all but forgotten that behind them lay an extremely powerful, extremely angry Wizard who was old enough to be Harry's grandfather. The idea to return to Hogwarts for another year and learn more had never been greater but the raven-haired teen pushed the thought from his mind. This had to be ended as soon as possible and that meant that he, Tonks, Hermione, and probably Orion would have to learn these things on their own. Of course, that didn't mean that he had to wait for them to start researching some of the things that could be useful.

Taking a quick break to stretch his legs, Harry made his way to the bookcase by Tonks' bedroom. While she didn't read just for the sake of reading (though she admitted that she could get lost in a good adventure book), the young Auror had numerous books on the Dark Arts and how to fight them, things that helped her become a better Auror, and spells. The last subject was the one Harry was currently interested in and he was soon seated back at the table with several choice spell books. He was in the midst of looking through one that was particularly interesting when the door burst open and Tonks came rushing in. One look at her appearance said that she was flustered about something and she was muttering darkly to herself.

"Where does she get off, talking to me like that? I don't tell her how to do her job. The bint's lucky I didn't Hex her."

"Er, Dora? What's wrong?" As though she just realized he was there, Tonks turned to face Harry and threw her arms around him.

"Hi love," she greeted with a kiss on his cheek. "Umbridge was in my office today and made some 'suggestions' as to how I could improve myself. Your dad stopped me before I could run my mouth off and Scrimgeour sent me home to cool off for a few hours."

"I thought Bones was going to get rid of that bitch."

"She's trying love but there's only so much she can do, even as Minister. Umbridge has enough power and influence that removing her from that job will take time. Merlin I believed you were telling the truth when she was at Hogwarts but I never knew it was this bad!"

* * *

Harry was sitting in the Gryffindor common room with Rose, who was eying her older brother with wariness. He had just had a confrontation with Professor Umbridge and he was seething. It was all Harry could do to stay in his seat and he glared or snapped at anyone who came too close. He would normally have Ron, Hermione, and Ginny with him as well but the former two had Prefect duties and the latter had detention with the very same teacher who had roused Harry's ire. The young teen would typically turn to Professor Dumbledore for advice in a situation like this but he hadn't been seen since disappearing from the castle a couple of months ago. This was something Harry definitely didn't need to deal with at the moment; OWLs were approaching in about a month and he needed to focus on that.

"Why don't you just owl Tonks?" Rose suddenly asked. Harry was so taken aback by the question, and the possible implications of it, that he forgot to snap at her.

"Why would I do that?" Harry's tone was cautious and reserved.

"Oh come off it Harry. I saw how you were acting around her at Christmas. I know you fancy her and I think she fancies you too. According to Sirius, she talks about you all the time, or at least that's what Severus tells me. What does that matter right now anyway? You won't talk to Mum or Dad, you won't talk to Sirius, you need to talk to someone outside of Hogwarts about this. You can't keep letting her get to you!"

"This isn't exactly something I can just put into a letter Rose. Besides I'm pretty sure she's still trying to check my mail."

"So use Umbridge's fireplace and talk to her by Floo. Or better yet you could always use that mirror Sirius gave you over the holidays. I'm sure he'll be glad to let her use it."

"And what will he think when I ask for her?"

"That you miss the girl you fancy and you want to talk to her. Is that so fucking hard?" Harry blinked at his sister's answer, trying to process it. It was so simple that it was easy to overlook and yet it was probably the truth. If Sirius knew how Harry felt about Tonks (which he was sure of, since his godfather somehow knew everything about him) then that's exactly what he would think. Not knowing of any other response, the teen said the first thing that popped into his head.

"You're too young to use language like that Rose."

"So it's alright for you to say fuck but it's not alright for me?"

"That's fucking right," he called back as he began climbing the stairs to his dorm, acutely aware that Rose was right on his heels. He knew that she wanted to see Tonks too. His sister had taken a shine to the young Metamorphmagus, seeing her as the older sister she never had. Though he wanted to talk to Tonks alone, Harry could hardly stop Rose from accompanying him so he did his best to quash his annoyance. It only took him a minute to find the mirror he used to talk to his godfather buried under everything else on his bedside table.

"Sirius." It took only a couple of minutes for the Wizard to appear on the glass, looking like Christmas had come early.

"Harry! What are you doing kid?"

"I was actually hoping to talk to Tonks, if she's around."

"Yeah she's here. Why do you want to talk to her? Miss your girlfriend already?"

"You're lucky I'm not there or I'd Hex you to oblivion right now. I've gotten a lot faster this past year."

"So I take it your group is going well then?" The slight shaking of the mirror told the two siblings that Sirius was currently walking.

"It was until Umbridge found out about it."

"How'd she find out?!"

"That bitch Marietta Edgecomb," Rose replied.

"You shouldn't say things like that Rosie," Sirius responded, a light chuckle escaping him. "Here's Tonks, before you say anything else that might end up getting me in trouble. It's Harry and Rose," he added, apparently talking to his young cousin.

"Hi Rose," Tonks greeted evenly, flashing her a friendly smile. "Harry! Can't get enough of me? You just saw me at Easter and you already miss me?"

"You're one to talk, if that smile is any indication" the teen cheekily responded, referencing the smile that now threatened to split her face.

"Would you two quit making eyes at each other?" Rose burst out. "You're making me nauseous! Harry just talk to her already!"

"Seems we're making your sister jealous Harry."

"Looks that way doesn't it? In all seriousness though I do need to talk to you about Umbridge. Are you alone?" At Tonks' nod, Harry immediately launched into his tale of what Umbridge had put them through that year, leaving out the part about the Blood Quill. Her trademark smile had quickly vanished and her face was becoming stonier with everything he told her.

"Now I know why you lot were so eager to come home for Easter," the young Auror began when Harry finished speaking, "and I have a feeling there's more that you're not telling me." She gave Harry a pointed look that told him they were going to talk about it later and he would tell her everything then. "I understand your predicament though. If you fight back then you make yourself a target and if you do nothing then she continues to make your life miserable. It's not an easy fix unfortunately. Give me some time to think of something. Why did you come to me about this though Harry? Why not your parents or Sirius?"

"Rose would you give us a minute?" Harry asked his sister.

"Sure," the young redhead responded as she stood up. "Bye Tonks!"

"I wanted to talk to you because I don't want anyone else to know," Harry continued as soon as Rose left the room. "I know Mum, Dad, Sirius, and Remus all mean well but they're too overprotective and I don't want them to do anything. Aside from that there is the obvious reason."

"We'll have to see what we can do about that reason," she responded with a grin. "Until then though I'll see what I can come up with about your situation with Umbridge. Oh bugger, I think Sirius is coming back. I've gotta go Harry. Be safe."

"You too Tonks. Bye." The Metamorphmagus' heart-shaped face left the mirror and Harry went back downstairs to find Rose waiting in the chair she had just vacated.

"Why didn't you tell her about the Blood Quill?" she asked her brother when he sat down.

"I'll tell her after we've dealt with her. You and I both know that she'll try to march right into Hogwarts and Curse Umbridge if she knows about it. One thing at a time my dear sister. Now, how are your skills in Occlumency coming?"

* * *

"She either doesn't realize that Bones is trying to sack her or she doesn't care," Tonks continued, her hair a flaming red that nearly matched Rose's.

"Or maybe she knows and she's trying to do as much as she can before she's gone," Harry pointed out. "We know she isn't very smart, she's manipulative, and her only loyalty is to power. Maybe she hopes that if she can prove her worth to Bones that the Minister will let her stay."

"Maybe," Tonks agreed with a shrug of her shoulders, her hair beginning to revert to its trademark pink as she anger started to subside. "I'm starting to get hungry love. What's for lunch?" Harry laughed at the question. Tonks was the only person he knew who could go from seething mad to hungry in an instant. He stole a quick kiss and started making their lunch.

The next few hours were enjoyable for both despite the events that had led to them. Tonks seemed to have put her anger behind her and entertained Harry with some of her funnier Auror stories. Harry added to it by doing some rather convincing impersonations of his father. He also contributed a few of his funnier stories from that year at Hogwarts, though they were few and far in between. According to Tonks, the best one was when he and Rose "accidentally" locked Mrs. Norris in one of the broom closets.

"I swear we didn't even know she was in there when we shut the door. The next thing we hear is a lot of screeching and swearing then the door flew open and the damn cat came rushing out followed by Ginny and Dean. They apparently didn't like their snog being interrupted like that."

"And this was all just an accident?" Tonks managed to gasp out despite the tears of mirth rolling down her face. Harry could only nod in response, his own laughter not allowing him to actually say anything. "I really wish I could've seen that. It looks like it's about time for me to go back to work love. Merlin I'm going to be there forever tonight."

"Alright," Harry responded, rising to his feet and pulling her into a tight embrace that she willingly returned. "Bye babe. I promise your flat might still be here when you get back."

"I promise that if it's not, your bits won't be either." Harry visibly paled at the threat causing Tonks to let out another of her infectious laughs. She pulled him into the longest kiss they had shared in the past week and only reluctantly parted. "Bye love. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Be safe," Harry responded as she walked out of the room. As soon as the door closed, the teen fell back onto the couch with a sigh of frustration. Though her anger was apparently abated, Harry knew that Tonks would be mentally drained after dealing with Umbridge (at least that's the way he always felt). He wanted to do something special for her, something to lift her spirits but he wasn't sure what. He really wished his godfather was there at that moment. Sirius was the only adult he had ever felt truly comfortable talking to whenever he had romantic troubles.

* * *

Harry sat at a table with Ron nursing a butterbeer. The two of them were at the Potters' along with the rest of the Weasleys, Hermione, Sirius and Serene, and Remus for a last meal together before the kids had to go back to school. The ginger was still going on about the Quidditch World Cup (choosing to gloss over the Death Eater involvement of course) but Harry was discreetly watching Hermione. The brunette Witch was with Ginny and Rose, laughing at a joke that Ginny had just told.

Ever since the incident at the World Cup just over a month ago Harry had been seeing his friend in a different light. He wasn't sure what exactly the cause of it was but he no longer saw Hermione as just his bushy haired intelligent friend who he could always count on for help. Now she was Hermione, a beautiful young woman who was so much more than just a bookworm that was full of knowledge. The raven-haired teen wanted to do something about these newfound feelings but he wasn't sure what. He didn't want to do anything that might destroy their friendship. Normally he would go to Hermione whenever he had a problem like this but seeing as his possible feelings for her was the problem that was out of the question. Making up his mind Harry stood up from the table, leaving Ron in mid-sentence.

"Sorry mate," he apologized, doing his best to sound sincere, "I need to find Sirius. There's something I need to talk to him about." Ron gaped at his best mate for a moment before nodding and Harry took off, intent on finding Sirius as quickly as possible. It didn't take long for him to find his godfather in the sitting room laughing about something with Remus. "Hey Sirius could I talk to you about something alone?" The two best friends looked at each other for a moment before Remus stood up.

"I'll make sure no one disturbs you two," he announced before walking into the adjoining room.

"Gotta love Moony," Sirius said with a smile before turning to Harry. "So what do you need kid? What's so important that you can't talk to James or Lily about?"

"It's too embarrassing to talk to Mum about this. As for Dad, well I know you'll probably take the mickey out of me too but I don't live with you so it's a little easier." Sirius' eyes widened as he realized what Harry was talking about.

"Oho, it's about time you started noticing girls kid! So who is she?"

"It's Hermione. Only she's not the same Hermione I've known for the past three years. I don't know what to do about it Sirius."

"Ask her on a date." Harry snorted at his godfather's advice.

"If only if was that easy. What if she says no?"

"Then she says no," Sirius responded with a shrug. "You know Hermione won't take the mickey out of you and she won't tell anyone else. Just ask her to Hogsmeade sometime."

"Yeah because we've never done that before."

"It's all about the intent kid. If you're straightforward about wanting it to be an actual date instead of just going as friends and she reciprocates then it's a date, simple as that."

"But what if we get together and then decide that it's not going to work out? I don't want to lose my friend over this!"

"You'll be able to tell before it gets to that point and you should end it. Besides Hermione's smart enough that she won't let it get to that point either."

"I don't know Sirius, there's so many things that could go wrong."

"Of course there is Harry but it's the same way with anything in life. You have to decide if the consequences will be worth it. What's life without a little risk kid?"

* * *

It hit him like a lightning bolt and suddenly Harry knew just what to do to make Tonks feel better. He knew this would work and, though she may be upset with him at first, by the end of the night she would love it. At five o'clock he took a quick shower and pulled out some of his better looking clothes. He dressed and fought with his hair in an attempt to make it lay somewhat flatter. Despite the fact that it fell down to his shoulders, the extra weight still wasn't enough to tame it and Harry ended up pulling the back into a ponytail, leaving the bangs free to fall around his face. It was just after seven when Tonks finally arrived back home.

"Oh I'm glad that day is over!" she exclaimed as soon as she walked in, not even taking notice of Harry's appearance.

"Did Umbridge still give you a hard time?"

"No there was just a lot of fieldwork. I love my job, really I do, but I can only take so much running around in one day."

"Well I hope you're not too tired."

"Why is that?" Tonks looked at Harry properly for the first time since coming home and finally noticed his state of dress. "Are we going out?"

"As soon as you change." Tonks looked torn, obviously liking the idea but wanting to keep him safe. It took a few minutes of well-prepared arguments but Harry was able to convince the young woman that it would be alright if they went out for just a few hours. Tonks changed as quickly as she could and walked back into the sitting room to see Harry pacing back and forth.

"So where are we going?" she asked as she pulled out her wand.

"You'll see," the teen responded, pulling his own wand out of its holster.

"You're going to Apparate us there? Are you bloody mad Harry? Have you forgotten about the Trace?!"

"What about it?" Harry challenged. "We're allowed to use magic in an emergency and I think I had to defend myself from Death Eaters just now, don't you? Besides what's life without a little risk?" Tonks wanted to say something responsible but she found his defiant attitude to be rather sexy.

"So then is this a date Potter?" she asked instead, a flirtatious grin on her face as she grabbed his hand.

"It is if you want it to be."

"I do."

"Good, 'cause I do too." With that, Harry turned on his heel and Disapparated the both of them.


End file.
